Bank note transporting apparatus in game machine island

ABSTRACT

A bank note transporting apparatus for transporting externally inserted bank notes is provided in an game machine island in which a plurality of game machines (12) and a plurality of game media lending machines (13) for lending game media used for playing games are disposed. The bank note transporting apparatus comprises a main transporting path (200) provided within the island for transporting bank notes to a destination position and an introducing path (300) disposed in at least one position along the length of the main transporting path for merging bank notes externally inserted into the island to the main transporting path. The main transporting path including an accepting slot (3) for accepting the bank notes from the introducing path. The introducing path including a bank note inserting unit (4) into which the bank notes are externally, inserted and a merging unit (9a) for guiding and transporting the inserted bank notes to the accepting slot. The merging unit including a passage member (6) for transporting the bank notes and a passage frame (9) which is pivotally mounted on one end of the passage member.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bank note transporting apparatus in agame machine island in which bank notes inserted into a bank noteinserting slot as a game playing fee can be supplied to a bank notetransporting path in a position along the length thereof via a bank noteidentifying machine and can be transported from one side to the otherside of the path.

BACKGROUND OF THE RELATED ART

A plurality of game machine rows (hereinafter referred to as "gamemachine island") comprising a plurality of game machines and a pluralityof game media lending machines for lending game media which are used forplaying games by game players are disposed in game parlors. When a gameplayer plays a game, he or she rents game media by inserting bank notesinto a game media lending machine as a game playing fee. The bank noteswhich were inserted into the game media lending machine are acceptedinto the island and are then collected to a destination position, suchas one end of the island. As a means thereof, a bank note transportingapparatus is provided in the island.

The bank note transporting apparatus includes a unit for merging thebank notes which are inserted from the game media lending machine. Sucha type of mechanism is incorporated in the transporting apparatus andper se is not easily disassembled.

Jamming of the bank notes in the bank note merging unit is liable tooccur due to the complicated structure and inappropriate timing ofmerging of the bank notes, etc. In the event of jamming of the banknotes, the game media lending machine is unable to be used and gameplayers are considerably inconvenienced.

The inside of a conventional bank note transporting apparatus, includingthe bank note merging unit is not easily accessible. In the event ofjamming or other failures, it takes an extended period of time toconduct repair service such as removal of the jammed bank notes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a bank noteconveying apparatus in which a unit for merging bank notes to a maintransporting path can be easily opened to rapidly deal with jamming orfailure therein.

In order to accomplish the above mentioned object, in one aspect of thepresent invention, there is provided a bank note transporting apparatusfor transporting externally inserted bank notes, which is provided in agame machine island in which a plurality of game machines and aplurality of game media lending machines for lending game media used forplaying games are disposed, the bank note transporting apparatuscomprising a main transporting means provided within the island fortransporting bank notes to a destination position; and

an introducing means disposed in at least one position along the lengthof the main transporting path for merging bank notes externally insertedinto the island to the main transporting means;

the main transporting means including an accepting slot for acceptingthe bank notes from the introducing means;

the introducing means including a bank note inserting unit into whichthe bank notes are externally inserted and a merging unit for guidingand transporting the inserted bank notes to the accepting slot;

the merging unit including a passage member for transporting the banknotes and a passage frame which is pivotally mounted on one end of thepassage member and;

the passage frame being mounted on the passage member in such a mannerthat the passage frame is disposed in parallel with the passage memberto form a transporting passage therebetween when the introducing meansis driven and is separated from the transporting passage defining faceof the transporting member when the passage frame is pivoted.

The main transporting means, which may be considered to be structureproviding a pathway or path, may include a transporting belt fortransporting bank notes, a guide for guiding the transported bank notesand a transporting belt which forms a transporting path between it and aguide for transporting the bank notes along the guide. The guide mayhave the accepting slot. The accepting slot may be wider than thelateral width of the transporting belt.

The merging unit may include guide strips, at the front ends of thepassage member and the passage frame, for guiding bank notes to anaccepting slot of the main transporting path.

The passage frame may include a pivot shaft provided in the vicinity ofthe base end portions of the guide strips so that the passage frame ispivotally linked with the passage member via the pivot shaft.

The guide strips may have respective front ends which are inserted intothe accepting slot.

The guide strips may be disposed so that they are slanted toward theguide.

The guide strips may be provided on the passage member and on thepassage frame. They may have such a positional and dimensionalrelationship that they do not structurally interfere with each otherwhen the passage frame is pivoted. For example, two guide strips on theside of the passage frame are provided with a spacing which is largerthan the width of the transporting belt and the guide strip on thepassage member are provided in such a positional and dimensionalrelationship with the guide strips on the passage frame that the formerguide strip can be sandwiched between the latter two guide strips.

The transporting belt 2 may transport the bank notes which are in anerected position.

The transporting path may further include a bank note identifying unitbetween the bank note inserting unit and the merging unit fordetermining whether the bank note is genuine or fake.

The merging unit may include transporting members for transporting banknotes and a drive source for driving the transporting members. In suchan arrangement, the merging unit accepts the bank notes from the banknote identifying unit for feeding them to the main transporting path viathe accepting slot.

The drive source may comprise a motor for driving the transportingmembers, a control unit for controlling energizing of the motor and asensor for detecting the presence or absence of a bank note in thevicinity of the front of the accepting slot where merging unit isdisposed.

The control unit is adapted to temporarily stop the bank note when thebank note is accepted from the bank note identifying unit and to feedout the bank note via the accepting slot when the sensor detects that nobank note is transported in the vicinity of the front of the acceptingslot.

In accordance with the present invention, the merging unit can be openedby pivoting the passage frame around the pivot shaft if a bank note ornotes are jammed in the merging unit. Accordingly, the inside of thestandby transporting passage and the front end side can be widely openedtoward the front side, so that removal of jammed bank notes or repair ofthe inside can be quickly and easily carried out.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a partial cutaway plan view showing the structure of themerging unit of the bank note transporting apparatus of one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial plan view showing the structure of one unit of themain transporting path of the bank note transporting apparatus of theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a partial cutaway plan view showing the structure of theintroducing path of the bank note transporting apparatus of theembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing part of the merging unit whichconstitutes the above mentioned embodiment;

FIG. 5 is an lateral view showing the structure of the main transportingpath and the coin transporting path used in the present embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a rear view showing the main transporting path and the cointransporting path shown in FIG. 5 as viewed from the rear side thereof;

FIG. 7 is a rear view showing the entire of the main transporting pathand the coin transporting path used in the present embodiment, part ofwhich is omitted;

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the outline of the structure of the banknote transporting apparatus of the present embodiment, which is disposedin the game machine island;

FIG. 9 is a front view showing one unit of the game machine islands; and

FIG. 10 is a front view showing the structure of the game machineisland.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described withreference to the drawings.

A bank note transporting apparatus of the first preferred embodiment ismounted within a game machine island which is shown in FIG. 10 and isadapted to transport bank notes which were paid by game players forplaying games.

The game machine island A which is shown in FIG. 10 comprises gamemachines 12 and game media lending machines 13 which are alternatelydisposed in a row. Since the game machines 12 and the game media lendingmachines 13 are grouped and arrayed into "islands" in a game parlor,they are referred to as "islands". One game machine island comprises tworows of the game machines 12 and game media lending machines 13(hereinafter referred to as "game machine row") which are disposed onthe opposite sides of the row with the back facing each other. FIG. 10shows one of the two rows as viewed from the front side thereof.

The game machines 12 include, for example, slot machines. The game medialending machines 13 are to lend game media which are used in playinggames. The game media include, for example, medals, balls and the like.

End members 14a and 14b which are referred to as "island decoration" aremounted on the opposite ends of a game machine row to cover them. Thegame machine island includes a plurality of unit supporting frames 100which constitute the skeleton for the structure of the island. One unitsupporting frame 100 is arranged to support two sets of game machines 12and game media lending machines 13. A plurality of unit supportingframes 100 are continuously arranged to form one game machine island.

The unit supporting frame 100 includes a supporting plate 15 which islocated on the game machine 12 and the game media lending machine 13 anda covering member 18 on the supporting plate, which is referred to as a"screen plate".

The screen plate 18 is provided with bill or bank note inserting slots4a and coin inserting slots 17, each for one game media lending machine13 as shown in FIG. 9. FIG. 9 shows one unit comprising two gamemachines 12 and two game media lending machine 13.

A board 19 having a dimension for one unit is secured to the supportingplate 15. The board 19 is covered with a covering member 18 on the frontside thereof so that it is concealed from game players. The board 19includes a bottom plate 19a and an upper plate 19b as shown in FIG. 5.These plates are provided perpendicularly relative to the board 19.

As shown in FIG. 8, the bank note transporting apparatus of the presentembodiment comprises main transporting paths 200 each for one gamemachine row for transporting bank notes, guiding paths 300 for acceptingbank notes which are externally inserted into the bank note insertingslots 4a and for merging the bank notes into the main transporting pathsafter identifying whether they are genuine or fake, and a transferringdevice 29 for transferring bank notes from the rear end of one upstreammain transporting path 200 to the front end of the other downstream maintransporting path 200. In the present embodiment, a stacker 30 foraccommodating transported bank notes is disposed at the rear end of thedownstream main transporting path. The stacker 30 is provided for, forexample, a bill change machine. The transferring device 29 and thestacker 30 are disposed in the end members 14a and 14b, respectively.

The main transporting paths 200 comprise a plurality of belts 2 whichare successively disposed. Each of the belts 2 is provided for one unit.Each introducing path 300 is provided for one game media lending machine13. Two introducing paths 300 are provided for each transporting belt 2.The introducing path 300 includes a bank note inserting unit 4 havingthe bank note inserting slot 4a and a bank note identifying unit 5 foridentifying whether the inserted bank notes are genuine or fake and amerging unit 9a for merging the bank notes into the main transportingpaths 200. The structure of the introducing path 300 will be hereinafterdescribed in detail.

The transporting belt 2 is tensioned between a gear type drive wheel 22which is provided at one end thereof and a gear type idle wheel 23 whichis provided at the other end thereof. A plurality of gear typesupporting wheels 24 which bear the belt 2 are equally spacedly disposedbetween the drive and idle wheels 22 and 23.

A guide 1 is provided on the outer side of one face of the transportingbelt 2 to form a bank note transporting passage between the transportingbelt 2 and the guide 1. The guide 1 is provided with balls 25 inpositions corresponding to the drive wheel 22, the idle wheel 23 and thesupporting wheel 24 for biasing the bank notes upon the belt 2.

The balls 25 are provided so that they are rotatably in contact with thebelt 2. The balls 25 are disposed in the positional relationship withthe drive wheel 22, the idle wheel 23 and the supporting wheel 24 asshown, for example, in FIG. 5. Accordingly, the bank notes aresandwiched between the belts 2 and the balls 25 and are transported byand together with the movement of the belt 2. The friction of the ballsis low since they rotate at this time. Resistance to the transportationof the bank note is negligible. The balls may be replaced with rollers.

The transporting belt 2 is disposed above the bottom plate 19a of theboard 19 as will be described hereafter. In the present embodiment, therotary shafts of the drive wheel 22, the idle wheel 23 and thesupporting wheel 24 are arranged in a substantially vertical directionas shown in FIG. 7. This enables the bank notes to be transported in anerected position. The transporting belt 2 is provided with the mergingunit 9a of the above mentioned introducing paths 300 in two positionsalong the length thereof.

In FIG. 2, a reference 20 denotes a motor for driving the drive wheel 22and a reference 26 denotes a motor for driving a coin transporting beltwhich will be described hereafter.

An example of the coin transporting belt is shown in FIG. 7. The cointransporting belt 28 in FIG. 7 is disposed above the upper plate 19b ofthe board 19. The coin transporting belt 28 is slanted so that its frontand rear ends are lower and higher in elevation, respectively.

The motors 20 and 26 are disposed above the upper plate 19b as shown inFIGS. 5 and 6.

The motor 20 drives the rotary shaft 22a of the drive wheel 22 to rotatevia a pulley 21a, a timing belt 21 and a pulley 22c. The rotary shaft22a is provided vertically relative to and between the bottom plate 19aand the upper plate 19b and is rotatably journalled by a bearing 22b.The bearing 22b is secured to the board 19.

The motor 26 drives the drive shaft 28a to rotate it via a pulley 27aand a timing belt 27. Since the drive wheel 28b is connected with thedrive shaft 28a, the belt is driven by the motor 28.

In FIG. 5, the guide 1 has such a height that it is capable of guidingthe bank notes which are in an erected position and is grooved at theupper and lower portions thereof. These grooves enable the bank notes tobe transported without being bent.

As shown in FIG. 6, the guide 1 is provided with an accepting slot 3 atthe front end of the merging unit 9a. The accepting slot 3 has anopening having such a dimension that the front end of the merging unit9a will not be brought into contact with the belt when it is swung. Theaccepting slot 3 has an opening length which is larger than the width ofthe belt 2.

Now, the introducing path 300 will be described with reference to FIGS.1, 3, 4 and 6.

The outline of the introducing path 300 is illustrated in FIG. 3. Theintroducing path 300 comprises the bank note inserting unit 4, the banknote identifying unit 5 and the merging unit 9a.

The bank note inserting unit 4 comprises a bank note inserting slot 4aand the guiding unit 4b for curving the bank note inserted into the slot4 in a slanted direction.

The bank note identifying unit 5 is slanted relative to the transportingbelt 2 so that it gradually approaches to it. The bank note identifyingunit 5 includes therein a transporting mechanism for transporting thebank notes (not shown), sensors for detecting the bank note (not shown)and a determining unit for processing detection information from thesensors to determine whether the bank note is genuine or fake (notshown). The unit 5 is also provided with a passage 5a for transportingthe bank notes.

The merging unit 9a includes a passage member 6 and a passage frame 9 asshown in FIGS. 1 and 4. The member 6 and the passage frame 9 are usuallydisposed in an opposing relationship so that a bank note passage 6a isformed therebetween. The passage member 6 and the passage frame 9 arebent toward the transporting belt 2. The passage 6a includes a portionwhich is in parallel with the transporting belt 2 and a portion which isslanted toward the transporting belt 2. The passage 6a has a lengthwhich is equal to at least the length of one bank note. This enables thebank note to be temporarily brought into a standby position.

Roller type transporting members 7a, 7b and 7c are mounted on thepassage member 6 in three positions such as the upstream side, thecurved portion and the downstream side thereof. A drive belt 32 is woundon three roller type transporting members 7a, 7b and 7c as shown in FIG.4. The roller type transporting member 7a is linked with a pulley 31bvia the same shaft. The pulley 31b is linked with the pulley 31c via abelt 31 so that the pulley 31b is driven to rotate by the belt 31. Inassociation with this rotation, the other roller type transportingmembers 7b and 7c are driven to rotate by the drive belt 32. The pulley31c is driven to rotate by a drive source 500.

The drive source 500 includes a motor 501 for driving the pulley 31c, acontrol unit 502 for controlling the rotation of the motor 501 and asensor 503 for detecting the conditions of the bank notes transported bythe transporting belt 2. In other words, the sensor 503 detects whetheror not there is a bank note which is transported in the vicinity of theposition which is in front of the merging unit 9a on the drive belt 2when another bank note from the transporting belt 2 reaches thetransporting belt 2. The control unit 502 controls energization of themotor 501 depending upon the detection result of the sensor 503. Thisdrives the roller type transporting members 7a, 7b and 7c. That is, thecontrol unit 502 temporarily keeps a bank note ejected from the banknote identifying unit 5 on and drives the roller type transportingmembers 7a, 7b and 7c by energizing the motor 501 when the sensordetects that no bank note is in the vicinity of the leading bank note.

The passage member 6 is provided with a guide strip 11 for guiding thebank notes on the front end and downstream side thereof. The guide strip11 has a width which is substantially equal to that of the transportingbelt 2 and is provided in the same positional relationship as the belt2. The guide strip 11 is disposed in such a manner that it is slantedand has the front end 11a which is positioned within the opening of theaccepting slot 3 of the guide 1. The guide strip 11 is tapered at thefront end 11a thereof so that the bank notes transported in the guide 1are not jammed.

The passage frame 9 is provided with roller type transporting members10a, 10b, 10c in positions corresponding to the three roller typetransporting members 7a, 7b and 7c, respectively. Two guide strips 8aand 8b are secured to the passage frame 9 on the front end and thedownstream side thereof. The two guide strips 8a and 8b are provided sothat the spacing therebetween is larger than the width of thetransporting belt 2. A bank note passage is defined between two guidestrips 8a, 8b and the guide strip 11. This passage opens within theaccepting slot 3 at the front end slot 6b thereof.

The passage frame 9 has a pivot shaft 10 at the base ends of the guidestrips 8a and 8b. The passage frame 9 is mounted so that it is pivotalaround the pivot shaft 10 as represented by a two dot chain line in FIG.3. When the frame 9 is in a position represented by the two dot chainline, the guide strips 8a and 8b sandwich the guide strip 11 and thetransporting belt 2 therebetween and are moved into the accepting slot3. In other words, the guide strips 8a, 8b and 11 are in such adimensional and positional relationship that they do not structurallyinterfere with each other.

When a game player inserts bank notes into the bank note inserting slot4a as a game fee in such an arrangement, the bank notes are accepted andidentification as to whether the bank notes are genuine or fake is madeby the bank note identifying unit 5. If the bank note is genuine, itwill be ejected into the passage 6a. The drive source 500 drives theroller type transporting members 7a, 7b and 7c to accept the bank notesfrom the bank note identifying unit 5 and causes the bank note totemporarily standby. When the sensor 503 detects that no bank note istransported in front of the accepting slot 3 for the drive belt 2, thecontrol unit 502 of the drive source 500 drives the roller typetransporting members 7a, 7b and 7c by the motor 501 to feed the banknote to the passage between the guide strips 8a, 8b and the guide strip11 and then to feed it to the transporting belt 2 via the accepting slot3.

Since the bank note transporting mechanism is provided independently ofthe bank note identifying unit 5 and the merging unit 9a in the thisembodiment, the next bank note can be accepted into the identifying unit5 while a bank note is in the standby position in the merging unit 9a.Inserting of bank notes is possible even if the previously inserted banknote is in the standby position when a game player pays fees for rentingthe game media. Therefore, the game player does not have to wait foracceptance of the bank note.

Jamming of the bank notes is liable to occur in this portion. In theevent of jamming, the covering member 18 is opened and the passage frame9 is pivoted around the pivot shaft 10 to a position represented by thephantom line (two dot chain line) in FIG. 3. This pivotal movement ismanually carried out by a service man.

When the passage frame 9 is pivoted, the guide strips 8a, 8b mounted atthe front end of the passage frame 9 are moved into the inner side ofthe accepting slot 3. At this time, the guide strips 8a, 8b are notbrought into contact with the transporting belt 2 and the other guidestrip 11 since the spacing between the guide strips 8a and 8b is widerthan those of the transporting belt 2 and the other guide strip 11 andthey are provided on the outer sides thereof. Accordingly, the passageframe 9 can be pivoted so that the passage 6a and the front end slot 6bare widely opened toward the front side. Therefore, jammed bank notescan be quickly and easily removed. In the event of failure, repair canbe quickly and easily carried out.

As mentioned above, in accordance with the embodiment of the presentinvention, there is provided a mechanism for merging the bank notes fromthe game media lending machines in a position along the length of thebank note transporting path comprising the guide 1 and the transportingbelt 2. In accordance with the embodiment of the present invention,there is provided a mechanism for opening the passage of the bank notesand the merging point by pivoting the passage frame constituting a partof the bank note passage toward the front side.

This enables countermeasures for the jamming of the bank notes bequickly and easily taken.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated indetail, it should be clearly understood that the same is by way ofillustration and example only and is not to be taken by way oflimitation, the spirit and scope of the present invention being limitedonly by the terms of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bank note transporting apparatus fortransporting externally inserted bank notes, which is provided in a gamemachine island in which a plurality of game machines and a plurality ofgame media lending machines for lending game media used for playinggames are disposed, comprising:main transporting means provided withinthe island for transporting bank notes to a destination position; andintroducing means disposed in at least one position along the length ofsaid main transporting means for merging bank notes externally insertedinto the island to said main transporting means; said main transportingmeans including an accepting slot for accepting the bank notes from saidintroducing means; said introducing means including a bank noteinserting unit into which the bank notes are externally inserted and amerging unit for guiding and transporting the inserted bank notes tosaid accepting slot; said merging unit including a passage member fortransporting the bank notes and a passage frame which is pivotallymounted on one end of the passage member; and said passage frame beingmounted on said passage member in such a manner that said passage frameis disposed in parallel with said passage member to form a transportingpassage therebetween when said introducing means is driven and isseparated from the transporting passage defining face of saidtransporting member when said passage frame is pivoted about a pivotshaft perpendicular to a transporting direction of the bank notes andparallel to surfaces of the bank notes.
 2. A bank note transportingapparatus as defined in claim 1 in which said main transporting meansincludes a first transporting belt for transporting bank notes, a guidefor guiding the transported bank notes and a second transporting beltbetween the first transporting belt and the guide for transporting thebank notes along the guide, said guide having said accepting slot.
 3. Abank note transporting apparatus as defined in claim 2 in which saidmerging unit includes guide strips at respective front ends of thepassage member and the passage frame for guiding bank notes to anaccepting slot of the main transporting means.
 4. A bank notetransporting apparatus as defined in claim 3 in which further includes apivot shaft provided in the vicinity of base end portions of said guidestrips, said passage frame being pivotally linked with said passagemember via the pivot shaft.
 5. A bank note transporting apparatus asdefined in claim 4 in which said guide strips have respective front endswhich are inserted into said accepting slot.
 6. A bank note transportingapparatus as defined in claim 5 in which said guide strips are disposedto be slanted toward said guide.
 7. A bank note transporting apparatusas defined in claim 6 in which said guide strips on said passage memberand on the passage frame have such a dimensional and positionalrelationship that they do not structurally interfere with each otherwhen the passage frame is pivoted.
 8. A bank note transporting apparatusas defined in claim 2 in which said transporting path further includes abank note identifying unit between the bank note inserting unit and themerging unit for determining whether the bank note is genuine or fake.9. A bank note transporting apparatus for transporting externallyinserted bank notes, which is provided in a game machine island in whicha plurality of game machines and a plurality of game media lendingmachines for lending game media used for playing games are disposed,said bank note transporting apparatus comprising:a main transportingpathway provided within the island for transporting bank notes to adestination position, a first transporting belt for transporting banknotes, a guide for guiding the transported bank notes and a secondtransporting belt which forms a transporting pathway between the firsttransporting belt and the guide for transporting the bank notes alongthe guide, said guide having said accepting slot; and an introducingpathway disposed in at least one position along the length of said maintransporting pathway for merging bank notes externally inserted into theisland to said main transporting pathway; said main transporting pathwayincluding an accepting slot for accepting the bank notes from saidintroducing pathway, said introducing pathway including a bank noteinserting unit into which the bank notes are externally inserted and amerging unit for guiding and transporting the inserted bank notes tosaid accepting slot, said merging unit including a passage member fortransporting the bank notes and a passage frame which is pivotallymounted on one end of the passage member, said passage frame beingmounted on said passage member in such a manner that said passage frameis disposed in parallel with said passage member to form a transportingpassage therebetween when said introducing pathway is driven and isseparated from the transporting passage defining face of saidtransporting member when said passage frame is pivoted, said mergingunit also including guide strips at the front ends of the passage memberand guide strips on the passage frame for cooperatively guiding banknotes to an accepting slot of the main transporting pathway and a pivotshaft provided in the vicinity of respective base end portions of saidguide strips, said passage frame being pivotally linked with saidpassage member via the pivot shaft, said guide strips having respectivefront ends which are inserted into said accepting slot and beingdisposed so that they are slanted toward said guide, said guide stripson said passage member and said guide strips on the passage frame havinga dimensional and positional relationship such that they do notstructurally interfere with each other when the passage frame ispivoted, wherein two guide strips on the side of the passage frame areprovided with a spacing which is larger than the width of saidtransporting belt and the guide strip on the passage member is providedin such a positional and dimensional relationship with respect to theguide strips on the passage frame that the guide strip on the passagemember can be sandwiched between the two guide strips on the side of thepassage frame.
 10. A bank note transporting apparatus as defined inclaim 9 in which the transporting belt transports the bank notes whichare in an erected position.
 11. A bank note transporting apparatus asdefined in claim 10 in which said accepting slot is formed wider thanthe lateral width of the transporting belt.
 12. A bank note transportingapparatus as defined in claim 11 in which the merging unit includestransporting members for transporting bank notes and a drive source fordriving the transporting members and accepts the bank notes from thebank note identifying unit for feeding them to the main transportingpath via the accepting slot.
 13. A bank note transporting apparatus asdefined in claim 12 in which said drive source comprises a motor fordriving the transporting members, a control unit for controllingenergization of the motor and a sensor for detecting the presence orabsence of a bank note in the vicinity of the front of the acceptingslot where said merging unit is disposed,said control unit being adaptedto temporarily stop the bank note when the bank note is accepted fromthe bank note identifying unit and to feed out the bank note via theaccepting slot when said sensor detects that no bank note is transportedin the vicinity of the front of the accepting slot.
 14. A bank notetransporting apparatus as defined in claim 13 in which a game machineisland includes a unit supporting frame which supports one or more gamemachines and one or more game media lending machines as one unit, aplurality of unit supporting frames being continuously arranged to formone game machine island.
 15. A bank note transporting apparatus asdefined in claim 14 in which said main transporting path includes onetransporting belt for each unit.
 16. A bank note transporting apparatusas defined in claim 9 in which said transporting path further includes abank note identifying unit between the bank note inserting unit and themerging unit for determining whether the bank note is genuine or fake.